bitterly.
"Yes. Maybe." He paused and looked at me and
smiled. "You are a very lovely young lady, Ruby. If I
was to believe in any forgiveness, it would be that you
were sent here to me as an indication of that. I don't
deserve you."
"I was almost shut away, too, Daddy," I said,
returning to my original theme.
"Yes," he said. "Tell me more about that." I described how Daphne had tricked me into
accompanying her to the institution and all that had
followed after-ward. He listened intently, growing
more and more upset.
"You've got to get hold of yourself, Daddy," I
said. "She just told me she might have you committed,
too. Don't let her do these things to you and to me and
even to Gisselle."
"Yes," he said. "You're right. I've wallowed in
self-pity too long and let things get out of hand." "We've got to end all the lying, Daddy. We've
got to cast the lies off like too much weight on a boat
or a canoe. The lies are sinking us," I told him. He
nodded. I stood up.
"Gisselle has to know the truth, Daddy, the
truth about our birth. Daphne shouldn't be afraid of
the truth either. Let her be our mother because of her
actions and not because of a mountain of lies." Daddy sighed.
"You're right." He rose, brushed back his hair,
and straightened his tie, tightening the knot. Then he
stuffed his shirt into his pants neatly. "I'm going down
to speak with Daphne. She won't do anything like this
to you again, Ruby. I promise."